I'm under the impression that lightning is not a power that any schmo can use just because they're a dark-sider and they know another dark-sider who can. It's a pretty badass power and can do quite a lot of damage, so I doubt it would be easy for a person to learn.

One might be interested by the fact that Maul uses lightning in both the Episode I movie game and in Jedi Power Battles (a loosely-based action game), but I don't think they can be taken as evidence on their own.

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I agree with LordofTheFish. We agree with Rev, Darth Maul was most definately a swordsman. This thread could start to get repetitive.
Darth Maul is certainly not "any Schmo". He was powerful enough for something like that, he probably just didn't want to use it... or even bother to learn it.

"The beauty and genius of a work of film may be reconceived, though its first material expression be destroyed; a vanished fiction may yet again inspire the screenplay-writer; but when the last individual of a race of living directors, of artists, breathes no more, another heaven and another earth must pass before such a one can be again." -William Beebe, modified in memorial of the twentieth century

Though a powerful Sith Lord, Darth Vader's usage of Force lightning was suppressed, due to the prosthetic arm he had fitted to replace a hand lost in battle with Count Dooku, and after the disastrous confrontation on Mustafar (although his trademark use of Force Choke more than compensated for this lack). Vader could not channel lightning through his body for fear of damaging his cybernetic implants, and also meant he became much more vulnerable to the effects of Force lightning. This vulnerability would eventually contribute to his death. Although there is one case where Darth Vader did use Sith lightning. When Darth Vader was in close proximity to the presence of the Kaiburr Crystal on Circarpous V, the amplification effects of the Force caused the Dark Lord's affinity with the dark side of the Force to expand even greater. As a result, the crystal granted Vader the ability to cast Force lightning, normally impossible due to Vader's bionic limbs and life-support systems.

Basically, nothing canon says he does/doesn't. However, whether he did or not, I'm going to agree with all of you and say he's a swordsman. In the movies, you never see him use any force powers (except maybe jump, i can't remember), he only relies on his lightsaber.

He DID kill Qui-gon Jinn, while Obi-Wan was helping- even if he fought to a stalemate the second time, Qui-Gon had a spaceship that time. So I draw the conclusion he's pretty powerful. But yes, we all think he's the swordsman type. Why else would he be showing off with that double-sided saber? And we never actually see him explicitly use any Force Powers.

"The beauty and genius of a work of film may be reconceived, though its first material expression be destroyed; a vanished fiction may yet again inspire the screenplay-writer; but when the last individual of a race of living directors, of artists, breathes no more, another heaven and another earth must pass before such a one can be again." -William Beebe, modified in memorial of the twentieth century

Powerful doesn't always mean all-round good. When we see a great blademaster like Kas'im, we can say that he's powerful. When we see Palpatine uses Force Storm, we can say that he's powerful. And it seems that Maul prefer using the force to "empower" his body and use his rage and hate to create force fury. I make prediction like that because he never shows any use of force like sith lightning, but he won't be a sith if he can't use the force. I remember a picture, showing Maul withstands a Sith lightning. I think he's using force fury to withstand that pain. Anyway, there's no evidence Maul uses Sith Lightning, so I don't believe he can.

As we remember in ANH one aspect of using a lightsaber is using the force for Precognition, increased speed, precision and power. I often see a Force user sable fight as a battle using both mind and muscle... the ultimate test (like Dooku vs YOda) That is when when in the middle of a battle they are literally moping the floor with every non-force user in the battle.

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Well sure he could use it, duh. But I don't understand why they didn't have him use it. but, good question, I was going to ask the same thing.

"They'll hunt me; They'll condemn me; Set the dogs on me; Because that's what needs to happen. Because sometimes, the truth isn't good enough. Sometimes, people deserve more. Sometimes, people deserve to have their faith rewarded. Not because they want to, not because of chance, but because they deserve to."

That's true. Sidious trained him to be the master of hand-to-hand lightsaber combat.

"They'll hunt me; They'll condemn me; Set the dogs on me; Because that's what needs to happen. Because sometimes, the truth isn't good enough. Sometimes, people deserve more. Sometimes, people deserve to have their faith rewarded. Not because they want to, not because of chance, but because they deserve to."

Come to think of it, Darth Vader didn't use Lightning, either... at least, in the movies.

I would think that even if he could, it would be disastrous for him: it would destroy or damage all of the electrical machinery in his prosthetic limbs.

Having worked with electricity in real life I could say it also would dig in or bite down into his flesh at edges or sharp points. Not to mention the metal limbs would be excellent conductors of the physical electrical energy portion of force lightning. Also would not be wise b/c he is bionic by necessity and it would damage and fry critical life support systems, severly injuring if not killing him. What little is left of him, anyway.

The following is only in the game and I don't know about canonized content, otherwise:
PS1 SW:Phantom Menace game, at the very last part of your fight with maul, if you are out of saber combat range, maul will repeatedly make a hand gesture and a little red bolt of lightning will leap out of his hand hitting you and whittle away your health until you either die or you fight him. Looks like the bolt that comes from Amidala's droid restrainer, but her's was blue.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doctorjones

Sorry if this has already been posted before, but just out of interest.

Did Darth Maul ever use Sith lightning? I no he doesn't in the Phantom Menace. I would be suprised if he didn't at some point, or maybe he just wasn't strong enough or skilled enough to use it yet?

Any thoughts?

Other than my example, you'd have to read up on Darth Maul. But I don't think he did. He could have, but I don't think so.

Quote:

Originally Posted by A Galaxy Foreseen

I say my friend,
He could of killed Obi-Wan with the same move that Obi-Wan did on Anakin in there Battle on Mustafar.
But yeah.

But That is beside the point, I agree on the idea of that he could use it but just did not
care to. He, in my opinion used force push more than anything. (as he used it to push Obi-Wan into that pit)

PS1 SW:Phantom Menace game, at the very last part of your fight with maul, if you are out of saber combat range, maul will repeatedly make a hand gesture and a little red bolt of lightning will leap out of his hand hitting you and whittle away your health until you either die or you fight him. Looks like the bolt that comes from Amidala's droid restrainer, but her's was blue.

Yes, you are correct, but if he had lived to be on AOTC, he would have used things such as Lightning.

"They'll hunt me; They'll condemn me; Set the dogs on me; Because that's what needs to happen. Because sometimes, the truth isn't good enough. Sometimes, people deserve more. Sometimes, people deserve to have their faith rewarded. Not because they want to, not because of chance, but because they deserve to."

First off, Maul really did use the Force... notice how prior to Episode I, a lot of fans had this thing about assuming you actually couldn't use "offensive force" during a saber duel, because it required too much concentration or something (at least not against someone who was "well trained").

Maul broke this, using not only the typical "jump," he actually Force pushed Obi-Wan off a ledge while in a saber lock! He also casually used a battle droid part to open a door while fighting two Jedi at once. It's quite clear that whatever this might have been in the original films, it's no limitation on Prequel era Jedi/Sith. Maul has plenty of control over the Force.

Maul isn't the "only a swordsman" guy (did you also notice how he used physical blows like kicks during battle?). For that, you want General Grievous (whose "Jedi arts training" clearly only encompassed fighting, because he had zero defense against a simple push Episode III).

Second, I know that "having hands made of flesh" is something that is offered as an explanation in the Expanded Universe as to why VADER never uses lightning, but it isn't a very satisfying explanation for me. None of the other force powers seem to require physical hands to perform (even the movie "gestures" appear to be a tool of focuser for the user, not strictly required to do something). Couldn't he just channel it through his "stumps"? Why not make the robot limbs out of some material that could safely channel the lightning if that was the issue? (the Prequels demonstrate that this technology exists in the Star Wars universe, and we have no proof that "sith" lightning is really anymore dangerous than any other form of electricity they routinely handle).

The real reason is that Lucas hadn't thought of "Force Lightning" until he started working on Return of the Jedi. By then it could have been chalked up as some kind of mysterious "ultimate power" that only the Emperor knew. Episode II changed all that (well, and the EU for years has basically had every schmo who has been around using it, as mentioned... maybe the "Secret" got out of the bag after the battle of Endor?).

It's really never explained why some can use lightning but others cannot, except the outside the movie "well he didn't have arms so..." which is silly, because we can then ask "so why didn't he get cloned arms so he could throw lightning, if it was so important"?

Then the excuses because sillier.. "he forgot," "too sad," "Palpatine wouldn't let him but he never took it as a slight against him,"

If it was "Palpatine was deliberately holding him back" that's silly because the whole reason Palpatine supposedly switched to Anakin was because he wanted that power and potential for himself. If he had no problem giving Dooku "the secret" (assuming it was) why not Anakin?

And I don't buy the "clone body parts don't have the force" because while this is an EU thing, it's totally at odds with the Episode II novelization. Plus, part of the logic of the Clone troopers is that Force users have influence over them (otherwise what are we supposed to assume, that anyone barking an order at them would gain their loyalty? The Separatists should have used big loudspeakers on the battlefield to countermand them!).

It's just a movie inconsistency, sort of like "Sith Eyes."

PS: Anakin uses lightning in the "Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" game too (so I guess in the game's anything goes, but someone who bought into the "official excuse" could argue that he only uses his left hand for that, which is still organic).

528) ... and you make her do it half naked, in undies only. o.O ... and you extend this to your female boss
583 - Your female boss agrees
530) Your boss thinks you nuts for trying to wield a lightsaber